When I first started blogging, I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I needed more guidance on how to monetize a blog, so I set out to find the right mentors in order to get my online business started on the right foot.
When I was a personal trainer, I always received massive business breakthroughs at fitness conventions and industry events, so I made a point of it to attend an online entrepreneurial event seeking for some clarity.
For one of the training sessions, blogging expert and 7-figure online marketer, Tracey Walker, broke down the word BLOG (B-L-O-G) into a set of guidelines to follow while creating and maintaining a blog site.
This training was monumental for me because she laid out a step-by-step guide on how to generate the best results possible with my blog.
Within just a couple months of following the guidelines in B.L.O.G, I started to received hundreds of views per week on my site!
These results are unique and results do vary. This post does not guarantee that you will get the same results.
Today, I thought it would be a great benefit for you if I shared exactly what I learned from Tracey.
B is for Building a strong foundation
1) Check your blogging platform.
Do you have one of those free blogs like blogger or I don’t even know what is out there because, in business, nothing good is free.
If you are using one of those, then I suggest you convert over to a WordPress-based site. I have the Kalatu blogging platform, for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is it was the least techy platform I could find.
I have a degree in dumbbells, not computer science…
Kalatu was also built by marketers for marketers, meaning, online marketing experts made it a heck of a lot easier for you to have your blog up and running for monetization instantly, plus made it a lot easier for your content to RANK!
For more information about Kalatu, you can check out our 21 day blogging challenge here.
2) Tell Your Story
Are you consistently telling your story or your customers’ comeback stories? A great way to get your prospects to take action is by telling stories, especially ones THEY CAN RELATE TO. An example is telling a story on how you solved your own or your customers’ problems with the products or services you offer.
“For so long I was struggling with [insert problem(s) customers relate to] and it wasn’t until I started using [insert product] when I felt [insert amazing outcome that your customer want].”
Be as vivid as possible.
These stories can be placed in your blog post’s intros (to transition into the body), your ‘About Page’, Youtube videos, testimonials page, social media posts; so, basically everywhere…
Stories sell because people remember stories.
3) Check your niche
Does your blog look and feel like it belongs in your target niche? Or is it disorganized with random banners and content?
Also, if you want to make money by blogging, it is best to write about a particular niche/theme/topic. Neil Patel, one of the leading blogging experts, emphasized sticking to one theme so you don’t confuse your readers. For instance, if your niche is weight loss, do not write posts about your dogs or concerts; unless, you are giving advice on how your readers can workout with their dog or how to avoid bad food at concerts… Get the idea?
Who is your target audience?
Do you even have a target audience? “If you are speaking to everybody, then you’re speaking to nobody!”
I love that saying.
I know the fear of potentially missing out on customers, however, when you stick to a niche and you know everything about your target audience, you are then able to speak directly to them.
This will make YOU rich in the long run. YOU will look like the expert, YOU will gain your audience’s trust because YOU can solve their problems like no one else can. This in turn, will give you credibility and authority status.
What is your vision of your blog?
What is your desired outcome from blogging? What do you want the end result to be?
Passive income?
Freedom?
Flexibility?
Help thousands of people?
This was an essential question that I had to answer when I first started blogging. By knowing the outcome and purpose of my blog, I knew exactly where I was going and what I needed to do on a daily basis to get there.
Tip: I suggest you grab a piece of paper and write down your desired outcome in 90 days of blogging.
L is for Leverage your brand
Just like I asked above, is your blog customized to a common theme (your brand) or is it in a disarray?
Pictures, videos, logo, header, banners, tagline, colors, theme – are they all synergistic?
You are confusing your readers if there are items within your blog that not congruent with your message. Have a purpose for every item in your blog, all the way down to your signature.
That is another reason why Kalatu is B.A. because it took me a only a couple hours to customize my blogs. I just started a new one yesterday – My RTW Blog.
Custom banners, unique intro video, user-friendly headline… Everything is completely aligned with my travel theme.
O is for Organized and create content
1) First, do keyword research to know what your niche audience are searching for on the internet. I use Google Keyword tool – you can set up a free account here.
2) Choose Long-tailed keywords: the keyword should be 5+ words in length.
Tip: When you use long-tailed keywords, it will be a lot easier to rank in Google, you will have a very specific topic to write about (helps with writer’s block), and you instantly be in front of your niche audience when they are searching for solutions to a very specific problem (i.e. their problem is your keyword). All in all, they are seeing your content when they need it most.
3) Placement of keywords:
Place keyword in the first sentence of your blog – preferably in a question format.
Keywords should be placed throughout the body of the post (in a non-spammy way). The body should flow like a conversation, smooth-like, while adding “you” and “I” throughout.
Also, place keywords in the meta tags section, use them as categories, within headline or title of posts, and the ALT spot for images.
4) Create content daily.
Seriously. It takes about 40-50 blog entries before Google and prospective customers start to take notice. This is a must because Google loves fresh content.
Need help? That is why we have our 21 day blogging challenge. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. Therefore, for the future of your business and earning potential, Blog Daily. Period.
5) Calls To Action (CTA): Are you providing a CTA for your viewers? A CTA is basically an action step for your viewers to take in order to learn more (soft sell) or get ahold of your products (hard sell). A lot of new bloggers neglect to tell their viewers what to do once they’ve read or watched your excellent content. Tell them what to do! They are looking to you for guidance.
G is for Generate visibility
Creating content is one thing, telling others is the next step. I have been taught Pareto’s Law, or the rule of 80/20. I spend 20% of my efforts creating my blog post, then 80% effort telling others. When you first start a blog, it is like an island in the internet ocean. In order to create any visibility, it is important to share your content in as many places as possible. Hint: especially places where your niche audience is hanging out.
Tell others: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, Index Kings, pingler.com, and email your list.
Telling others is one of the key elements to getting traffic to your blog.
Yes, SEO is great, but it shouldn’t be relied upon to produce the results that you desire. Depending on your income goals (if above $15k per month) it will take a some hustle for the first 90 days to get there. So, follow the 80/20 rule and share your blog posts in all of the platforms above.
Conclusion:
Like I mentioned above, when I followed the B.L.O.G guidelines, it transformed my website into a money making machine. Even though I cannot guarantee your results, I hope these guidelines do the same or better for you.
Traffic -> Leads -> Sales
For me, blogging sales = freedom
So remember, Build a strong foundation with the right blogging platform (I <3 Kalatu), Leverage your uniqueness (a.k.a your brand), Organize and create content daily, and lastly, Generate visibility by telling others about your sweet blog posts.
What would blogging sales do for you?
